Choosing a Comfortable Chair | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. どの椅子を選びましょうか？

   Which chair should we choose?

   どの

   which

   椅子

   chair

   選びましょうか

   shall we choose?

   More detail

   どの means “which” when it comes directly before a noun and asks the listener to identify one option from a relevant set. It does not stand alone in this pattern: どの椅子 is “which chair.” Compare この椅子 (“this chair”) and その椅子 (“that chair”); these identify a chair rather than ask which one. 椅子 means “chair.” It is the noun being selected. The phrase どの椅子 therefore asks for a choice among chairs, without stating how many chairs there are. 選びましょうか comes from the verb 選ぶ, “to choose.” Useful forms are 選ぶ (plain form), 選びます (polite non-past form), and 選びましょう (polite volitional form, “let’s choose” or “shall we choose”). Japanese verb forms here do not change for the subject’s person or number. The final か marks the sentence as a question, so 選びましょうか asks whether the speakers should choose. Putting the parts together, どの椅子 asks which chair is intended, and 選びましょうか proposes that the speaker and listener choose it. The complete utterance is: “Which chair should we choose?”

2. これは快適そうです。

   This one looks comfortable.

   これ

   this one

   快適

   comfortable

   そうです

   looks/seems so

   More detail

   これ means “this one” here: a demonstrative used on its own to identify a nearby or currently discussed item. In the supplied context, the discussion is about choosing a chair, so the item is understood within that context. Japanese demonstratives include これ “this one,” それ “that one,” and あれ “that one over there”; the choice depends on the relevant demonstrative perspective, not on the noun’s gender or number. 快適 means “comfortable” here. It is a na-adjective-type word: before a noun, use 快適な, as in the example 快適な椅子 — “a comfortable chair.” In the fixed utterance, it is not directly modifying a noun; it combines with the appearance pattern that follows. そうです is the polite form of the appearance pattern 〜そうです, meaning “looks/seems …” based on how something appears. With 快適, the result is 快適そうです — “looks comfortable.” This is different from simply asserting 快適です — “is comfortable”: 〜そうです presents the quality as an appearance or impression. Example: この料理はおいしそうです。 — “This dish looks delicious.” Together, これ identifies the item under discussion, and 快適そうです says that it appears comfortable. The whole utterance therefore means “This one looks comfortable.”

3. もう一つの椅子は小さすぎそうです。

   The other chair seems too small.

   もう一つの

   the other; another

   椅子

   chair

   小さすぎ

   too small

   そうです

   seems so

   More detail

   もう一つの means “another one” or, in this sentence, “the other.” もう一つ is a compact way to refer to one additional item; の links it attributively to the noun that follows. The expression does not by itself state a numerical count of all the items. Reusable pattern: もう一つの + noun = “another/the other + noun.” Example: もう一つの方法 — “another method.” 椅子 is the noun “chair.” The phrase もう一つの椅子 therefore identifies a chair as an additional or other item, without changing who acts or what happens to it. 小さすぎ comes from the adjective 小さい, “small,” and expresses “too small.” With an い-adjective, い is removed before すぎる: 小さい → 小さすぎる. The すぎる part means that the degree is excessive. In this sentence, its connecting form 小さすぎ comes before そうです. Example: この箱は小さすぎる。 — “This box is too small.” そうです here expresses an appearance-based judgment: “seems so” or “looks that way.” In 小さすぎそうです, そう follows the stem of the preceding expression and presents the speaker’s impression rather than a direct assertion based on measurement. The polite ending is です. This use should be distinguished from the hearsay use of そうだ, which follows a complete reported statement; the form and the fixed translation support the appearance reading here. Together, もう一つの椅子 is “the other chair,” and 小さすぎそうです says that it appears to be excessively small. The whole utterance means: “The other chair seems too small.”

4. では、これなら大丈夫そうです。

   Then this one should work.

   では

   then; well then

   これ

   this; this one

   なら

   if so; in the case of

   大丈夫そうです

   seems okay; should work

   More detail

   では marks a transition from what came before. Here it naturally means “then” or “in that case,” introducing a possible alternative. The reusable pattern では、… can begin a response meaning “Then, …” or “Well then, …”. これ means “this” or “this one.” It is a demonstrative pronoun for an item understood from the situation; the fixed translation identifies that item as the one being considered, but does not give it a more specific name. これ itself does not mark a person, gender, or grammatical number. The related pronouns それ and あれ distinguish other spatial or discourse relationships, rather than simply adding different endings to これ. なら is the conditional form of the copula だ, used after a noun or noun-like expression. In これなら, it follows the pronoun これ and sets it as the condition or basis for the judgment: “if it is this one” or, naturally here, “with this one.” The pronoun is これ; なら supplies the conditional relation. 大丈夫そうです combines 大丈夫, meaning “okay,” “all right,” or “suitable,” with そうです. In this sentence, そう expresses an appearance or impression, so the phrase means “seems okay” or “looks as though it should work.” The final です gives the expression a polite style. This is the appearance-based use of そうです, not the hearsay use meaning “I hear that …”. Example: この靴は大丈夫そうです。 means “This shoe seems okay.” This is a new example showing the same pattern with a different item, not an additional fact about the supplied conversation. Together, では、これなら means “Then, if it is this one” or “Then, with this one,” and 大丈夫そうです gives the speaker’s assessment that it seems suitable. The complete utterance therefore means: “Then this one should work.”

5. この明るい色をどう思いますか？

   What do you think of the bright color?

   この

   this

   明るい

   bright

   色

   color

   どう

   how; what ... like

   思いますか

   do you think?

   More detail

   この means “this” and comes directly before a noun: この色 means “this color.” It is a noun-modifying demonstrative; the form itself does not show the noun’s number or gender. Its exact physical or discourse reference is supplied by context. 明るい means “bright” here. It is an い-adjective, and its plain form can directly modify a noun: 明るい色, “a bright color.” A useful contrast is 明るくない色, “a color that is not bright”; the adjective changes to 明るくない for negation. 色 means “color.” It is a noun and can combine with many descriptions, for example 赤い色, “a red color.” In this sentence it is the noun modified by この and 明るい. どう asks about manner or evaluation: “how?” With 思う, the pattern どう思う means “what do you think?” It is not asking for a literal method here; it asks for the listener’s opinion of the topic. 思いますか is the polite question form of 思う, “to think.” 思う is the base form; 思います is its polite nonpast form, and か marks the sentence as a question. Japanese commonly leaves the subject unspoken when context makes it clear, so the fixed translation expresses the understood listener as “you.” Together, この明るい色 forms the topic being evaluated: “this bright color.” どう思いますか asks for the listener’s opinion of it. The whole utterance therefore means, “What do you think of the bright color?”

6. 明るい色なので、この椅子は見つけやすいです。

   It makes the chair easy to spot.

   明るい

   bright

   色

   color

   なので

   because; since

   この

   this

   椅子

   chair

   見つけやすい

   easy to spot

   More detail

   明るい means “bright” here and is an い-adjective. Its basic form is 明るい; before a noun, it directly modifies that noun: 明るい色 means “a bright color.” Its opposite is 暗い (“dark”): 暗い色 means “a dark color.” 色 means “color.” It is a noun, and 明るい色 is the reusable pattern “bright + color,” with the adjective before the noun. なので connects a reason to a result or conclusion. Here, 明るい色なので means “because it is a bright color” or “since it is a bright color.” After a noun or a な-adjective, なので follows the copular element な: for example, 静かなので、勉強できます。 means “Because it is quiet, I can study.” This なので is not itself a polite form; the politeness of the main statement appears in final です. この is a demonstrative determiner meaning “this” and comes directly before a noun: この椅子 means “this chair.” It does not inflect for grammatical number or gender. The demonstrative marks the chair as “this” in relation to the speaker’s context; it does not itself add a description such as color. 椅子 means “chair.” It is a noun. For example, 椅子に座ります。 means “I sit on a chair”; the particle and verb show a different use from the noun phrase この椅子 here. 見つけやすい means “easy to find” or, in this context, “easy to spot.” It combines the verb 見つける (“find”) with やすい, which forms an adjective meaning that an action is easy to perform. The 見つけ part is the verb’s stem used before やすい; 読みやすい similarly means “easy to read.” Final です makes the statement polite, while the adjective phrase before it supplies the main description. Together, 明るい色なので gives the reason, and この椅子は見つけやすいです says that this chair is easy to find or spot. Thus the whole utterance means “Because it is a bright color, this chair is easy to spot,” matching the fixed translation. A reusable pattern is [reason] なので、[subject] は [verb stem]やすいです — “Because [reason], [subject] is easy to [verb].”

7. この椅子を選びましょう。

   Let's choose this chair.

   この

   this

   椅子

   chair

   選びましょう

   let’s choose

   More detail

   この means “this” and comes directly before the noun it identifies: この + noun. It is a demonstrative determiner, so it does not change for number or gender. The intended referent here is the chair identified as “this chair.” Compare the related forms その (“that near you” or already mentioned) and あの (“that over there”), when the context supports those distances. 椅子 means “chair.” It is a noun and does not itself show singular versus plural in this sentence; the context identifies one chair. Example: 椅子を動かします。 — “I will move the chair.” 選びましょう means “let’s choose.” Its base form is 選ぶ (“to choose”); 選びましょう is the polite volitional form, used to make a proposal including the speaker: 選ぶ → 選びましょう. This is different from the polite non-volitional form 選びます, “choose/will choose,” which states an action rather than proposing it. The particle を marks この椅子 as the object of 選ぶ: the thing being chosen. Thus この椅子を forms “this chair” as the object, and 選びましょう adds the polite proposal “let’s choose.” Together, この椅子を選びましょう。 means “Let’s choose this chair.”

8. ここに動かします。

   I will move it over here.

   ここに

   here

   動かします

   will move

   More detail

   ここに means “here.” The particle に marks the destination or location toward which an action of movement is directed. In this utterance, it identifies the place where the object will be moved. Example: ここに置きます。— “I’ll put it here.” 動かします is the polite nonpast form of 動かす, “to move.” The nonpast form can describe a planned or imminent action, so it is understood here as “will move.” The base form 動かす is a transitive verb: it normally moves something, while the object can be omitted when it is clear from the situation. Example: いすを動かします。— “I’ll move the chair.” Together, ここに動かします。means “I will move it over here.” ここに gives the destination, and 動かします states the speaker’s polite intention or plan to move the understood object there.